Help & advice

How to Fit Architraves or Facings

Architraves are also known as facings or door facings and are usually supplied in set lengths but can actually be supplied from a sawmill or similar joinery specialist at virtually any length and any style.............. so long as you don't mind the expense.

1. Architraves are also known as Facings, the standard sets are normally supplied as 5 lengths which gives enough for two sides of a door frame/surround.

2. Take the architrave and place against the door frame/surround, use a sharp pencil to mark the architrave at a height just above the top corner of the door frame where it meets the lintel just above the door.

3. Using a mitre square and sharp pencil, mark the mitre, the 45* angle upwards from the original 1st pencil mark.

4. Use a small tenon saw to cut the mitre, sometimes it's better to angle the cut slightly back at an angle while continuing to follow the pencil mark, don't remove the pencil mark with the cut, repeat this process for the other archtrave legs.

5. There are two basic ways of cutting the lintel sections of architrave, type one is to go through the process of lining up the lintel architrave with the architrave legs and transposing a pencil line from each edge of the leg width, type two is simpler, having loosely pinned the architrave legs to the frame, ease them off or away slightly from the frame and drop the architrave lintel behind the legs until the lintel us at the correct position, use a sharp pencil to mark the leg mitre shape to the lintel architrave and cut the mitres as described previously.

6. Pin/nail each architrave piece to the frame, pins are normally spaced 50mm or so apart over the width of the architrave at slightly different heights to each other and tapped in at a slight angle to the centre of the width of the architrave, this grips the architrave better and prevents the pins splitting through the frame rebate.

7. Tap the pins with a nail punch below the surface of the architrave, fill with matching wood colour and lightly sand immediately rather than waiting for the filler to go hard, It's easier and tidier.